Hand gun grip



Sept. 15, 1959 1- FREE]: 2,903,811

HAND GUN GRIP Filed 001;. 9, 1958 N INVENTOR. g M a sv &

N N BY GEOEGEHEI'PEED.

United States Patent HAND GUN GRIP George H. Freed, Pine Brook, NJ.

Application October 9, 1958, Serial No. 766,313

Claims. (CI. 42-74) This invention relates to hand guns and particularly to a novel hand gun grip structure. This application is a continuation-in-part of my earlier application Serial Number 631,315, filed December 28, 1956, and now abandoned.

By reason of the fact that the grip or handle of the normal hand gun is positioned below the axis of the barrel, the gun is not free to recoil directly rearwardly or in line with the barrel. Instead, during recoil the hand gun pivots about a point below a rearward extension of the axis of the barrel, and the muzzle thus moves upward. Since recoil commences at the instant of firing, so also does the upward movement of the muzzle. In fact, such upward movement is in progress before the bullet leaves the barrel. This upward kick of the barrel is compensated for by raising the front sight of the gun, and may be overcome to some extent by weighting the barrel or by the use of a Cutts compensator.

The grip of the shooter, however, has an important bearing upon the extent of upward movement at the inception of recoil. It can be seen that a loose or light grip will always result in a high strike, whereas a firm grip will substantially rest-rain kick at the instant of firing and since upward movement is thus impeded the striking point of the bullet will not be so far above the aiming point. The aforementioned upward movement of the barrel during recoil is present to a greater or lesser extent in all hand gun shooting.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a grip casing structure which permits a more nearly free backward and a controlled upward recoil of the piece during the time the bullet is in the barrel regardless of the firmness of the shooters grip.

In accordance with the present invention a grip structure is provided Which insulates the gun handle frame from manual gripping pressure of the shooter. The grip casing structure surrounds those portions of the gun handle frame which normally underlie the hand of the shooter. It is of such dimensions and so mounted as to permit a degree of relative forward and rearward motion between the gun frame and the grip, with resilient means acting between the gun frame and the grip to urge the frame into a forward position relative to the casing. At the instant of firing the gun frame is free to move rearwardly in the casing, and any upward movement of the muzzle which occurs while the bullet is still in the barrel is a controlled and constant upward movement.

The present invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein Figure 1 is a cut-away elevation of the frame of a revolver embodying a preferred grip structure of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a verticalsection through the gun handle frame and grip structure taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an elevation similar to Fig. 1 but with one casing member removed, illustrating other embodiments of the present grip structure.

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Reference will now be had to Figs. 1 and 2 for a detailed descriptionof a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The conventional gun frame 11 includes a trigger guard 12 and the gun handle frame 13, the inner outlines of which are illustrated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. In place of the conventional stocks or hand grips, a pair of plates 14 and 14a are positioned on each side of gun handle frame 13 and keyed thereto by means of stock pins 16 and 16a. The plates are secured to one another in position as by a screw 17. Each plate is provided with a generally centrally disposed transverse slot 18, and the slots are in-line when the plates are properly in place.

The grip casing of this embodiment comprises a pair of recessed members 19 and 19a which are so formed as to enclose those portions of the gun handle frame, adjacent portions of the gun frame and plates 14 and 14a which normally would or might come in contact with the hand of the shooter as he grips and aims the gun. The casing members 19 and 19a are keyed together as at 26, 27 and 28 and are suitably secured in position above the gun handle frame as by a screw 29 which passes through slots 18 in the plates 14 and 14a. Slots 18 assure proper alignment between the gun handle frame and the grip casing at all times.

It will be observed that the casing comprises a front portion 21 corresponding to the front surface and a rear portion 22 corresponding to the back surface of gun handle frame 13. The front and rear portions are rigidly spaced apart in the embodiments illustrated by side portion 23 (see Fig. 1), and are preferably effectively wider than the corresponding surfaces of the gun handle frame. The front portion 21 preferably extends forwardly as at 24 into the space between gun handle frame 13 and trigger guard 12, and prevents contact between the shooters hand and the trigger guard.

In the embodiments illustrated the side portion 23 of the casing members is continuous. These members might if desired be provided with holes or depressions, so long as they prevent the shooter from applying gripping pressure to the gun handle frame or parts secured thereto.

It will also be observed that the front and rear portions of the casing are spaced sufficiently apart to provide a space between the casing and the gun handle frame to enable a measure of free recoil of the gun frame within the casing.

Resilient means are provided for normally urging the gun frame into a forward position relative to the grip casing, as shown in Fig. 1, with the front portion of the gun handle frame preferably in contact with the front portion 21 of the casing thus providing a space 25 between the inner surface of the rear portion 22 of the casing and the outer back surface of the gun handle frame. The preferred means for accomplishing the aforementioned positioning is a leaf spring 31 in space 25 which is preferably keyed as at 32 to the rear portion of the casing.

The side plates 14 and 14a of the embodiment of Fig. 1 permit modification of existing hand guns to accept the grip casing. Referring to Fig. 3, the gun handle frame 13 might be modified in newly constructed guns to provide a wider than normal longitudinal connecting portion 36 which would be slotted as at 37 to receive casing connecting means 29.

Referring again to Fig. 3, the aforementioned positioning of the grip casing and the gun handle frame may be accomplished by means of a coil spring 33 bearing against the rear portion of trigger guard 12 and the base of a recess 34 in the forwardly extending portion 24 of the casing adjacent the trigger vguard. It is also possible to provide both the leaf spring of Fig. 1 and the coil spring. A spring is the preferred resilient means, al-

though a material such as rubber might be positioned in space 25.

The resilient means are employed simply to position the grip casting as aforesaid with respect to the gun handle frame. The spring or other means need only be sufficiently strong to overcome trigger pressure as the gun is being fired, in order to retain the gun handle frame in a forward position relative to the casing just prior to firing. The resilient means are not designed as a recoil absorber, although it is evident that as the gun is fired and the gun handle frame moves rearwardly in the casing, coil spring 33 is compressed or the leaf spring 31 is elongated, as the case may be. Immediately following recoil the resilient means return the gun frame to the forward position.

The slots 18 in plates 14 and 14a and slot 37 in the embodiment of Fig. 3 are similar as can be seen in the drawings. They may be said to be generally triangular, with the smallest angle being that between normal extensions of the slot sides toward the rear of the casing. The slots are preferably curved at each end as shown, with the radius of the rearward end 18a (Fig. 1) being just sufficient to allow screw or connecting means 29 to bear against the end under pressure of the resilient means. The radius of the curved forward end 1812 is greater than that of the rearward end. It will be observed that in the embodiments illustrated the upper side of the slot is inclined slightly upwardly from rear to front, while the lower side is substantially parallel with the gun barrel. This construction is preferred as enabling a controlled upward movement of the barrel.

The aforementioned slot construction, in combination with the action of the resilient means normally forcing the gun handle frame forward as shown in the drawings, permits normal locking of casing and gun frame against relative up and down movement. At the time of firing the gun handle frame and plates 14 and 14a and slots 18, or gun handle frame 13 and slot 36 as the case may be, move against the resilient means rearwardly and upwardly and pivot about screw or connecting means 29. Initial upward movement is thus controlled by the upper inclined side and front end of the slot. By the time the resilient means have been completely compressed the bullet has left the barrel. During this initial recoil the firmness of the shooters grip has no bearing upon the striking point of the bullet since the gun is reacting within the casing. Of course upon complete compression of the resilient means the gun kicks normally.

The present invention thus provides a grip casing structure which insulates at least the front and rear portions of the gun handle frame, and other portions of the gun frame normally underlying the hand of the shooter to which gripping pressure would normally be applied as the gun is aimed and fired, so that the initial recoil of the gun is unimpeded by the grip of the shooter.

I claim:

1. A hand gun structure comprising a gun frame, including a gun handle frame, a grip casing including at least a front and a rear portion held in rigid spaced apart relationship insulating corresponding front and rear portions of said gun handle frame from manual gripping pressure of the shooter, means mounting said grip casing on said gun handle frame to provide relative forward and rearward motion between the gun frame and said grip casing, and resilient means acting between the gun frame and the grip casing normally to urge the gun frame into forward position relative to said casing.

2. A hand gun structure comprising a gun frame, including a gun handle frame, a grip casing including at least a front and a rear portion held in rigid spaced apart relationship insulating corresponding front and rear portions of said gun handle frame from manual gripping pressure of the shooter, means mounting said grip casing on the gun handle frame to provide relative forward and rearward motion between the gun frame and said grip casing, and resilient means acting between the rear portion of the gun frame and the rear portion of the grip casing normally to urge the gun frame into forward position relative to said casing.

3. A hand gun structure comprising a gun frame, including a trigger guard and a gun handle frame spaced therefrom, a grip casing including at least a front and a rear portion held in rigid spaced apart relationship insulating corresponding front and rear portions of said gun handle frame from manual gripping pressure of the shooter, the front portion of said casing extending into the space between the trigger guard and the gun handle frame to insulate the latter from contact with the fingers of the shooter grasping said grip casing, means mounting said grip casing on said gun handle frame to provide relative forward and rearward motion between the gun frame and said grip casing, and resilient means acting between the gun frame and said grip casing normally to urge the gun frame into forward position relative to said casing.

4. A hand gun structure comprising a gun frame, including a trigger guard and a gun handle frame spaced therefrom, a grip casing insulating that portion of the gun handle frame normally underlying the hand of the shooter from manual gripping pressure, said grip casing extending into the space between the trigger guard and the gun handle frame to insulate the latter from contact with the fingers of the shooter grasping said grip casing, means mounting said grip casing on said gun handle frame to provide relative forward and rearward motion between the gun frame and said grip casing, and resilient means acting between said trigger guard and the portion of said grip casing extending into the space between said guard and the gun handle frame normally to urge the gun frame into forward position relative to said casing.

5. A hand gun structure comprising a gun frame, including a gun handle frame having front and rear portions and a longitudinal portion joining the front and rear portions of said gun handle frame, said longitudinal portion having a generally longitudinal slot therein, a grip casing including at least a front and a rear portion held in rigid spaced apart relationship insulating the corresponding front and rear portions of said gun handle frame normally underlying the hand of the shooter from manual gripping pressure, means passing through said longitudinal slot joining opposed sides of said grip casing and mounting said grip casing on said gun handle frame to provide relative forward and rearward motion between the gun frame and said grip casing as a whole, and resilient means acting between the gun frame and the grip casing normally to urge the gun frame into forward position relative to said casing.

No references cited. 

